Kate Middleton in labor at hospital, Prince William with her

Prince William's wife, Kate, in early labor, was admitted to St. Mary's Hospital in London Monday for the birth of their first child, officials said.

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A statement released from Kensington Palace said the duke and duchess of Cambridge traveled by car from the palace to the hospital.

"Things are progressing as normal," a spokesman told the BBC

The couple did not know the sex of the child, who will be third in line to the British throne.

Royal vehicles were seen at a back entrance to the hospital about 90 minutes before Kensington Palace made the announcement. Media representatives from around the world have been outside St Mary's for days in anticipation of the birth.

William and Kate, both 31, went to the hospital without a police escort, their spokesman said.

The duchess, the former Kate Middleton, was being attended to by a medical team led by Queen Elizabeth II's former gynecologist, Marcus Setchell, and assisted by Alan Farthing, the queen's current gynecologist.